of thanks was moved and agreed to by the majority of the House of Lords of Ireland, to the associators of that kingdom, refused to give his assent, honestly stating his reasons, that he could never join in a vote of thanks as a peer of parliament or a lawyer, to any set of men, let their motives be ever so laudable or patriotic, who were acting in a military capacity, contrary to law.

Though an Irishman by birth, he was urged, he said, from real sentiment, to express his warmest gratitude to this country, which had raised him from an humble situation, from obscurity, to a seat in the great national council; and declared, that he must be the most ungrateful and worthless man existing, if he ever forgot the profusion of favours she had heaped upon him; he would not say totally unmerited, but infinitely beyond any thing his most sanguine expectations ever held out to him. He hoped he had acted an open, honest, and candid part towards his constituents; he was certain he sincerely meant to do so. He acquainted them with his sentiments: he might have been mistaken; he could with truth affirm, if he erred, he erred unintentionally, and with the best dispositions for promoting the mutual interest of both kingdoms. He did not mean to support what he thought at the time by subsequent events. He might have been mistaken then, or be so now; but this he could honestly declare, that he acted to the best of his judgment, wlthout the smallest degree of conscious predilection for the interests of either kingdoms, further than they appeared to him solidly and inseparably united.

He was induced, from every consideration which struck him, to believe, that whatever measure would serve Ireland essentially, would, and must in the end, serve England: but if ever any concessions on the part of his native country should be insisted upon, derogatory to the interest and prosperity of this country, he would be one of the first men in that House, in the character of a British senator, to rise and oppose, in the most peremptory and decisive manner,

any proposition tending directly or indirectly to any such point.

In the course of his speech, among a variety of other matters of less consequence, he observed that the noble lord who commenced the debate said, he hoped parliament would not treat it as a metaphysical question. He heartily joined the noble lord in this wish. It was our metaphysical quarrel about mere words, that had caused the American war, and that had reduced us to our present humiliating and calamitous state. We had commenced that war, not to recover a substance, but to possess what, if obtained, would have proved no more than a shadow. The noble lord said, it was no longer a question of commerce, it was become a question of state. He most certainly coincided in the noble lord's opinion. Two years, even perhaps one year ago, it was a question of commerce; and because it was no longer so, was the true ground of the charge stated in the motion, that of a criminal or blameable negligence in ministers; this, though urged in defence or extenuation, was the very basis of the charge against them; for they had by their conduct changed a mere question of commerce into a question of state. The British parliament were directly led, or compelled to declare which shape the question was to take; they had no time for deliberation or reflection; Ireland held out the alternative, and there remained but a single choice.

At half past twelve the House divided on the Earl of Upper ('ssory's motion: Yeas 100: Noes 192. So it passed in the negative.

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

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